Are your family trips an exercise in pleasure or comfort? Behavior economics guru Dan Ariely notes that there's a vivid difference between the two... and it may mean the difference between a fantastic vacation and...

People with disabilities shouldn't have to try and pass as able in the workplace, says writer and comedian Maysoon Zayid. But the sad reality is that America's largest minority remains invisible throughout popular...

You've Heard of OCD, But Do You Really Understa...You've Heard of OCD, But Do You Really Understand It? :: Big Thinkers on Mental Health

The Suicide Rate is Going Up. Here’s What We Ca...The Suicide Rate is Going Up. Here’s What We Can Do to Stop it.

Big Think and the Mental Health Channel are proud to launch Big Thinkers on Mental Health, a new series dedicated to open discussion of anxiety, depression, and the many other psychological disorders that affect millions worldwide.

New Planetary Neighbor Too Hot; Its Neighbors May Be "Just Right"

Yesterday it was announced that astronomers in Europe had discovered evidence of an Earth-size planet orbiting Alpha Centauri B, a star so close it can be seen without a telescope in some spots. This makes it the closest exoplanet (planet outside of Earth's solar system) of its kind found to date. It's too close to its own star to support life, but because its mass is similar to Earth's, the astronomers believe that there may be others orbiting in the same system that are a little further away. These planets "might fit the not-too-hot, not-too-cold description sometimes call[ed] the Goldilocks Zone."

What's the Big Idea?

Because the Alpha Centauri system (which comprises three stars, including Alpha Centauri B) is the closest to Earth's, researchers have long studied it for evidence of planets and, possibly, life. Now excited scientists are pushing NASA and the European Space Agency to speed up development towards getting some kind of exploration mission off the ground. It would be a 25-trillion-mile trip, true, but according to one planet-hunter, that's not very far away...at least not from a cosmic point of view.